Wire tying or twisting machine



A. J. GERRARD;

wmE TYING 0R TWISTING, MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED MAY 1-2. 1-920.

Patented Mar. 7, 1922.

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A. J. GERRARD.

WIRE TYING on TWlSTI-NG MACHINE.

APPLICATIQN FILED MAY 12, I920- Patented Mar. 7, 1922.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WIRE TYING OR TWIS'IING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 7, 1922.

Continuation of application Serial No. 256,985, filed October 5,1918. This application filed May 12, 1920, Serial No. 380,891.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALEc J. Gnnnnno, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in WVire Tying or Twisting Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.-

This invention relates to a wire tying or twisting machine and has for its object to provide a portable mechanism of this nature which will he comparatively inexpensive to manufacture and more ciiicient in action than those which have been heretofore proposed.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in the novel details of construction and combinations of parts more fully hereinafter disclosed and particularly pointed out in the claims.

This application is a continuation of my copending application No. 256,985, filed Oct. 5, 1918, and entitled Wire stretching and tying machines.

Referring to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which like numerals designate like parts in all the views,

Figure 1 is a front elevational view partially broken away, of a machine made in accordance with this invention:

Figure 2 is a fragmentary detail view partially in section of the wire tensioning device;

Figure 3 is a sectional detail view of the wire twisting pinion and its coacting parts;

Figure 4 is a top plan view of the parts shown in Figure 1;

Figure 5 is an end elevational view partially in section of the parts shown in Fig ure 4; and

Figure '6 represents the character of the twist or knot that is put by this machine into two bights of wire while under tension.

1 represents a substantially rectangular framework having a fiat smooth bottom 2, adapted to rest flat upon the package to be wired, and provided with an operating lever 3, secured to the main operating shaft 4, carried in the bearings 5 and 6 of the framework as shown. Rigid with the shaft 4 is the main driving spiral gear 7, meshing with the spiral twisting pinion 8, having the slot 9, adapted to receive the bight of the wire to be twisted. Said twisting pin ion 8 s located a distance only equal to its semi-diameter from the smooth surface 2, as shown, so that the slot 9 may approach as near as possible to the surface of the package to be wired, and therefore there is had only a minimum of slack in the wire to be tied. Secured to the framework 1 is a vertically disposed bearing 10 accommodating the rotatable and vertically movable wire tensioning member 11, provided with the wire receiving slot 12 and the operating handle 13. Said wire tensioning member 11 is provided with the circumferential groove indicated at 14, whiclris entered by the spring pressed stop member 51 when said member 11 is raised vertically in the bearing 10 as will presently appear. Said tensioning member 11 is further provided with the vertically disposed grooves 15 adapted to be entered by the tooth 16 of the dog 17, pivoted as at 18, and controlled by the spring 19, all as will be clear from Figures 1 and 2. Y

20 represents a wire holding dog pivoted at 21, provided with the holding teeth 22, and controlled by the spring pressed member 23, as shown. 24 and 25 represent members secured to the framework and provided with the comparatively narrow slots 26 and 27 respectively. and which slots are only slightly wider than are the diameters of the bights of the wire to be tied, so that said bights cannot rotate therein. Said slots 26 and 27 are of substantially the same width as is the slot 9 in the pinion 8, while on each side of said slot 9 there is provided the slots 28 and 29 which are sufficiently wide to allow said bights of the wire to rotate therein during the twisting action. 30 and 31 represent spring controlled plungers 0r stops for the operating lever or handle. 3, when in its extreme positions. The framework 1 is preferably divided as indicated on the lines 40, and is bolted together as by the bolts 41 as shown.

In operation one end of the wire to be tied or twisted is inserted beneath the teeth 22 of the dog 20, whereupon the member 23 presses said dog 20 down upon the wire and V the curved anvil 42. The bight 45, see Fig ure 5, of the wire is passed into the slot 26', the slot 28, the slot 9, the slot 29, and the slot 27 when said bight passes down under the slot 12 of the tensioning member 11, completely around the package to be tied and back up past the dog 22 when it becomes bight 46 and passes back into the slots 26,

28, 9, 29, 27 alongside the bight 45, and into the slot 12 of said tensioning device 11. The bights and 46 of the wire will now ap pear in cross section as is indicated in Figure 5. The handle 13 is now turned to rotate the tensioning member 11, which draws taut the bight 46 and thus puts any desired tension upon the Wire as a whole. During the turn of the tensioning member 11 the dog tooth 16 rides out of and into the vertical grooves 15, and thus holds the tensioning member 11 into whatever position it may be rotated. After the desired tension has been thus put into the wire, the handle 3 is given a sudden rotation from the position shown in Figure 3 through an angle of 180 degrees, whereupon it leaves the cushioning stop 30 and is brought up sharp against the cushioning stop 31.

This movement constitutes with other features now to be mentioned, an important feature of this invention, in that machines of this character, to be efficient, must be operated quickly, and further the slot 9 in the pinion 8 must at the end of the operation be automatically brought into register with the slots 27, 29, 28 and 26, for otherwise the twisted wire could not be readily and quickly removed from the machine. The diameter of the spiral gear 7, is therefore so chosen that a turn through 180 degrees will make just that predetermined number of complete turns of the pinion 8 as will put the requisite number of twists in the bights 45 and 46 of the wire, and at the same time bring the slot 9 into register with the other slots just mentioned. In other words, if it is desired to place say 3 twists in the bights 45 and 46, the turning of the lever 3 through 180 degrees will start the slot 9 from the registering position shown in Figure 5, and cause it to make three complete turns of 360 degrees each and then bring said slot 9 back into the same position as shown in said Figure 5, and all this in a very small fraction of a minute.

But in practice it is found that there is left in the twisted wire a considerable torsional resiliency which tends to turn the finished twist in arr-opposite direction, and to thus move the slot 9 out of register with the slots 28 and 29 on each side thereof, unless precautions are taken to prevent this. By providing the cushioning stops 31, however, the slot 9 may be carried just the right distance beyond its normal position, the return movement of the twist to bring it back to normal.

Assoon as the twisting operation has been thus completed, by pulling vertically on the lever 13 the tensioning member 11 is moved vertically until the groove 14 is entered by the spring pressed stop 51, and by this means the bight 46 of the twisted wire contained in the slot 12 will be brought against the lower edge 50 of the bearing 10, and said bight will be thus forced out of said slot 12.; so that the machine as a whole may be readily slid from under the two twisted bights '45 and 46 whereupon the said ends may be severed by any suitable means not shown.

It is another important feature of this invention that the machine is provided with the rearward extensions and 56, see Figure 4, and that the operating shaft 4 is located midway between said. extensions, for said extensions serve as a steadying means to prevent the machine from tilting during the twisting operation, and the central loca tion of the shaft4, tends to still further steady said operation. The cross member 58 serves as a convenient hand holding means for steadying-the machine, and also for readily lifting it from one position to another, the gears 7 and 8 being of a spiral type, are self-locking, and therefore, hold the wire twisting slot 9 in register with its companion slots after the twisting operation is completed.

The particular knot made by this machine is illustrated in Figure 6 and is found to be exceedingly efficient inpractice, while it does not unduly weaken the wire.

It is an important feature of this inven tion, that the portable frame 1 is provided with a smooth bottom, for it enables the frame to readily crawl over or move over the package being wired during the twisting operation. That is to say, the end 45 of the wire being firmly held by the dog 20, the bight passing out of the right hand side of the machine, as viewed in Figure 1, would not be drawn tight unless this crawling action were permitted.

Stated in other language, since the bi'ght 46 is drawn on, or tightened by the turning of the lever 13, there is necessarily a considerable tendency for the relatively light and portable frame 1 to be drawn toward, the left as seen in Figure 1, and the smooth bottom permits this action, which also causes any slack that may exist in the bight 45 to be taken up, and thus is the Wire tightcned on both sides of the box or package beingbanded.

It is obvious that those skilled in the art may vary the details of construction as well as the arrangement of parts'without departing from the spirit of the invention and the surface of a package to be wired during the twisting operation; a slotted wire tying pinion with its circumference disposed in close proximity to said bottom; an operating shaft disposed centrally of said frame work; automatic means for gripping one end of the wire to be tied; and means for putting under tension the other end of said wire before the tying operation, substantially as described.

2. In a wire tying machine the combination of a frame provided with extensions adapted to act as a steadying means during the tying operation, and having a smooth bottom adapted to lie fiat on and to crawl over the surface of a package to be wired during the twisting operation; a slotted wire tying pinion with its circumference disposed in close proximity to said bottom; an operating shaft disposed centrally of said frame work; automatic means for gripping one end of the wire to be tied; and means for putting under tension the other end of the wire, before the tying operation, substantially as described.

3. In a wire tying machine the combination of a frame, having a smooth bottom adapted to lie fiat on the surface of a package to be wired; a slotted wire tying pinion with its circumference disposed in close proximity to said bottom; an operating shaft disposed centrally of said frame work; automatic means for gripping one end of the wire to be tied; and means comprising a rotatable and vertically movable member for putting under tension the other end of said wire before the tying operation, substantially as described.

4. In a wire tying machine the combination of a frame provided with extensions adapted to act as a steadying means during the tying operation and having a smooth bottom adapted to lie fiat on the surface of a package to be wired; a slotted wire tying pinion with its circumference disposed in close proximity to said bottom; an operating shaft disposed centrally of said frame work; automatic means for gripping one end of the wire to be tied; and means comprising a slotted rotatable, pawl controlled and vertically movable member for putting under tension the other end of said wire before the tying operation, substantially as described.

5. In a wire tying machine the combina tion of a portable frame; adapted to crawl over the package being wired during the twisting operation; an operating shaft mounted in said frame; a slotted wire twisting pinion provided with a spiral gear; a main driving spiral gear meshing with said pinion; and operated by said shaft; an operating lever for said shaft adapted to swing through a predetermined are; and

stops for said lever at the ends of said are receiving slots; an operating shaft centrally mounted in said frame; a slotted wire twisting pinion provided with a spiral gear cooperating withsaid slots; a main driving spiral gear meshing with said pinion and operated by said shaft; an operating lever for said shaft adapted to swing through a predetermined arc; and stops for said le ver at the end of said are to insure the stopping of the rotation of said pinion at a predetermined point, to cause all of said slots to register, substantially as described.

7 In a wire tying machine the combination of a portable frame adapted to crawl over the package being wired during the twisting operation and having rear extensions adapted to act as a steadying means; an operating shaft mounted between said extensions; self locking gears comprising a wire-twisting pinion having a slot actuated by said shaft; and means for automatically starting and stopping the motion of said slot from, and at, the same point, substantially as described.

8. In a wire tying machine the combination of a portable frame adapted to crawl over the package being wired during the twisting operation and having rear extensions adapted to act as a steadying means; an operating shaft 'mounted between said extensions; self locking gears comprising a wire twisting .pinion having a slot actuated by said shaft; a member having a slot adapted to register with said pinion slot located on each side of said pinion; and means comprising an actuating lever and stops for the same, for automatically starting and stopping the motion of said pinion slot from and at the same point, so as to insure the registry of all of said slots at the end of the operation, substantially as described.

9. In a wire tying machine the combination of a portable frame adapted to crawl over the package being wired during the twisting operation and having rear extensions adapted to act as a steadying means; an operating shaft mounted between said extensions; self locking gears comprising a wire twisting pinion having a slot actuated by said shaft; a vertically disposed bearing; a vertically disposed rotatable and vertically movable wire tensioning means in said bearing; and means for automatically starting and stopping the motion of said slot from, and at, the same point, substantially as described.

10. In a wire tying machine the combination of a portable frame having a fiat botand provided with extensions adapted to act as a steadying means; a centrally disposed operating shaft; self locking wire twisting means comprlsing a pinion having a slot operated by said shaft; means for operating said shaft; stops to limit the movements'of said means; a wire tensioning means; and automatic wire gripping means, 10 substantially as described. 7

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

ALEC J. GERRARD. 

